Heling (Javanese: Karajan Heling; Chinese: 訶陵; pinyin: Hēlíng; Middle Chinese: [hɑ.lɨŋ]) or She-po or She-bo (Chinese: 闍婆; pinyin: Shépó; Middle Chinese: [d͡ʑia.buɑ]) in Chinese sources,[1] or Ho-ling in Arabic scriptures of Umayyad Caliphate era;[2] was a 7th- to 9th-century Indianized kingdom on the north coast of Central Java, Indonesia.
Heling ꦏꦫꦠꦺꦴꦤ꧀ꦏꦭꦶꦁꦒ (Jawa) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7th century–9th century | |||||||
 | |||||||
| Capital | Precisely unknown, suggested somewhere between Pekalongan and Jepara | ||||||
| Common languages | Old Javanese, Sanskrit | ||||||
| Religion | Hinduism, Buddhism, Animism | ||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||
| Raja | |||||||
• circa 674 | Shima | ||||||
| History | |||||||
• Established | 7th century | ||||||
• Disestablished | 9th century | ||||||
| |||||||
| Today part of | Indonesia | ||||||
It was the earliest reported Hindu-Buddhist kingdom in Central Java, and together with Kutai and Tarumanagara are among the oldest known kingdoms in Indonesian history.
History
editThe historical record of this kingdom is scarce and vague, consisting primarily of Tang Chinese sources. These sources record tribute being delivered from Heling to China, starting from the reign of Emperor Taizong (r. 626–649) all the way to 873, when "they sent an envoy to present female musicians".[3]: 15
In book 222 of the New Book of Tang, it is stated that:
Ka-ling (sic) is also called Djava, it is situated in the southern ocean, at the east of Sumatra and at the west of Bali. At its south it has the sea and towards the north lies Cambodia. The people make fortifications of wood and even the largest houses are covered with palm leaves. They have couches of ivory and mats of the outer skin of bamboo. The land produces tortoise-shell, gold and silver, rhinoceros-horns and ivory. The country is very rich; there is a cavern from which salt water bubbles up spontaneously. They make wine of the hanging flowers of the coco palm, when they drink of it, they become rapidly drunk. They have letters and are acquainted with astronomy. In eating they do not use spoons or chopsticks.[3]: 13 [4]
The New Book of Tang appears to identify Heling with the land of Java (社婆 or 闍婆) as a whole, though this may be the result of later usage of the term "Java" supplanting the earlier "Heling".[3]: 13 A number of other toponyms are mentioned, which are difficult to identify: the city of Polujiasi (Chinese: 婆露伽斯; pinyin: Pólùjiāsī, Middle Chinese: [buɑ.luoH.ɡɨɑ.siᴇ]), located further east of Heling, and the highland country Langbeiye (Chinese: 郎卑野; pinyin: Lángbēiyě, Middle Chinese: [lɑŋ.piᴇ.jiaX]), conjectured by Groeneveldt to be the Dieng Plateau.[3]: 13
Queen Shima
editAccording to a legendary account in the New Book of Tang, in 674 the kingdom was ruled by Queen Shima, famous for her fair yet harsh rule. According to tradition, one day a foreign king placed a bag filled with gold at the intersection in Heling to test the fame truthfulness and honesty of the Heling people. Nobody dared to touch the bag that did not belong to them until 3 years later when Shima's son, the crown prince, accidentally touched the bag with his foot. The queen issued a death sentence to her own son but was overruled by a minister who appealed to the queen to spare the prince's life. Since it was the prince's foot that touched the bag of gold, it was decided that the foot must be punished through mutilation.[3]: 14 [5]
The theory regarding contact between caliph Mu'awiyah with queen Shima of Heling has become a basis for further analysis about history of Islam in Minangkabau conference in 2011 and earlier conference about History of Islam in Indonesia in 1963, which researches suggested that the earliest contact of Nusantara civilizations with Islam were occurred in 7th AD century between Arabian peoples with southeast Asia, contrary to most popular belief that Islam were brought to Nusantara, particularly Java island, by Indian merchants and preachers.[6]
According to Indonesian historians seminar which organized by Aceh provincial government,[7] and Hamka, queen Shima has managed to establish contact with Mu'awiya I ibn Abi Sufyan the first Umayyad caliph and fifth Qurayshite caliph.[8][9][10] According to Reuben Levy, queen Shima regards Mu'awiyah as king of Ta-cheh in regards of Arab caliphate.[11] Both Hamka,[12] and Levy though that the envoys of Umayyad managed to reach Heling kingdom due to the improvements of caliphate maritime navigation, as Mu'awiyah were focusing the Early Caliphate navy at that time.[11] Levy also gave figure that the Mu'awiyah possession of as many as around 5,000 ships in 655, were the reason why the caliphate envoys manage to safely reach Heling during queen Shima reign, despite the length of distance between two nations.[13]
Azyumardi Azra, an Indonesian culture expert, accepted this Arab theory regarding the earliest contact of Islam in Java, although he also noted that the spread of Islam during queen Shima and Mu'awiyah era were not as vigorous as the later era in 15th AD century.[14] The denomination of Arab theory which introduced by Hamka were supported by researcher who linked the founding of Islamic tomb in Barus, Sumatra island which traced in 7th AD century, thus establishing the theory regarding the existence of trade route between the Heling kingdom, the Srivijaya empire, and the Umayyad caliphate.[15]
Geography
editThe exact location of kingdom's capital is unknown. Based on Chinese reports, it is thought to have been somewhere along the north coast of Central Java, possibly between present-day Pekalongan or Jepara. A place named Keling subdistrict is found in northern coast of Jepara Regency. however some archaeological findings near Pekalongan and Batang regency shows that Pekalongan was an ancient port, suggests that Pekalongan might be an altered name of Pe-Kaling-an.
According to Carita Parahyangan, a book composed in later period, Shima's great-grandson is Sanjaya, who is the king of Sunda Kingdom and Galuh Kingdom, and also the founder of Mataram Kingdom.[citation needed]
Between 742 and 755, the kingdom had moved further east from the Dieng Plateau, presumably in response to the expansion of the Buddhist Sailendra dynasty.[16]: 90
Religion
editThe oldest inscriptions from Central Java suggest that in the 7th century, the Shaiva form of Hinduism flourished on the northern coast, the region now associated with the Heling Kingdom. Some of the oldest Javanese candis can also be found in the mountainous surrounding areas of northern Central Java, such as the Hindu temples of Dieng Plateau and the Gedong Songo temples, but they were probably built in a later period, during the early Mataram Kingdom. Historians suggest that there was a link between this old kingdom and the later kingdom that flourished in the southern part of Central Java, specifically the Kedu Plain, known as the Sailendra of the Mataram Kingdom.[citation needed]
The Tuk Mas inscription is estimated to have originated from the Heling period, though it is located outside the region generally believed to have been under Heling's control. It was discovered on the western slope of Mount Merapi, at Dusun Dakawu, Lebak village, Kecamatan Grabag, Magelang Regency, Central Java, and is written in Pallava script in Sanskrit tells about a clear spring water that is so sacred that adored as the analogue of holy Ganges's source in India. The inscription also bears Hindu signs and imageries, such as trisula, kamandalu (water jar), parashu (axe), kalacengkha (shell), chakra and padma (red lotus), those are symbols of Hindu gods.[citation needed]
Another inscription dated from around the same period is the Sojomerto inscription, discovered in Sojomerto village, Kecamatan Reban, Batang Regency, Central Java. It is written in the Kawi script in Old Malay language and is estimated to be from the 7th century. The inscription tells about a ruler named Dapunta Selendra, the son of Santanu and Bhadrawati, and the husband of Sampula. Indonesian historian Prof. Drs. Boechari suggested that Dapunta Selendra was the ancestor of the Sailendras who later ruled in the Mataram Kingdom.[citation needed]
There is also evidence for the presence of Buddhism in the region. According to the Chinese Buddhist monk Yijing, in 664 a Chinese Buddhist monk named Huining (會寧 Huìníng) had arrived in Heling and stayed there for about three years. During his stay, and with the assistance of Jnanabhadra, a Kalinga Buddhist monk migrated from Kalinga Kingdom of Ancient India,he translated numerous Buddhist Hinayana scriptures.[5][16]: 79
References
edit- ^ Chang Chi-yun. "Eastern Asia in the Sui and T'and Period" (map). Historical Atlas of China. Vol. 1. Taipei: Chinese Culture University Press, 1980. p. 49
- ^ Jurnal penelitian agama, Issues 6-11 [Religious research Journal] (in Indonesian). Balai Penelitian P3M, Sunan Kalijaga State Islamic University. 1994. p. 51. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Groeneveldt, Willem Pieter (1876). "Notes on the Malay Archipelago and Malacca, Compiled from Chinese Sources". Batavia: W. Bruining.
- ^ The original Chinese version of the relevant entry from the New Book of Tang is available at "Chinese Text Project". Retrieved 16 November 2024.: 訶陵，亦曰社婆，曰阇婆，在南海中。東距婆利，西墮婆登，南瀕海，北真臘。木為城，雖大屋亦覆以栟櫚。象牙為床若席。出玳瑁、黃白金、犀、象，國最富。有穴自湧鹽。以柳花、椰子為酒，飲之輒醉，宿昔壞。有文字，知星歷。食無匕筋。有毒女，與接輒苦瘡，人死屍不腐。王居阇婆城。其祖吉延東遷於婆露伽斯城，旁小國二十八，莫不臣服。其官有三十二大夫，而大坐敢兄為最貴。山上有郎卑野州，王常登以望海。夏至立八尺表，景在表南二尺四寸。貞觀中，與墮和羅、墮婆登皆遣使者入貢，太宗以璽詔優答。墮和羅丐良馬，帝與之。至上元間，國人推女子為王，號「悉莫」，威令整肅，道不舉遺。大食君聞之，賫金一囊置其郊，行者輒避，如是三年。太子過，以足躪金，悉莫怒，將斬之，群臣固請。悉莫曰：「而罪實本於足，可斷趾。」群臣復為請，乃斬指以徇。大食聞而畏之，不敢加兵。大歷中，訶陵使者三至。元和八年，獻僧只奴四、五色鸚鵡、頻伽鳥等。憲宗拜內四門府左果毅。使者讓其弟，帝嘉美，並官之。訖大和，再朝貢。咸通中，遣使獻女樂
- ^ a b Drs. R. Soekmono (1988) [First published in 1973]. Pengantar Sejarah Kebudayaan Indonesia 2, 2nd ed. Yogyakarta: Penerbit Kanisius. p. 37.
- ^ Ahmad Yani bin Imam Shabari; Siti Sara bint Haji Ahmad (2019). "اكتشاف فعالية الوسائل التعليمية لتعليم اللغة العربية للناطقني بغريها يف مجهورية إندونيسيا: اجلامعة احلكومية ماالنج إبندونيسيا منوذجا" [Discovering the effectiveness of educational methods for teaching Arabic to non-native speakers in the Republic of Indonesia: Malang State University, Indonesia, as a model]. Center of Middle Eastern Studies (CMES) (in Indonesian and Arabic). XII (1). Surakarta: Sebelas Maret University. ISSN 2502-1044. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
- ^ Indra Wardhana (11 January 2020). Sejarah perjuangan kaum Arab dalam pergerakan kemerdekaan 1945 dan setelah kemerdekaan (in Indonesian). pp. 3–4, 13–14. ISBN 9785210732798. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
- ^ Ahmad Nabil Amir PhD (2022). "THE ARRIVAL AND SPREAD OF ISLAM IN THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO: AS REFLECTED AND SET FORTH IN HAMKA'S HISTORICAL WORK SEJARAH UMAT ISLAM". Jurnal al - Sirat (in Indonesian and English). 1 (20). International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization, (ISTAC), International Islamic University Malaysia: 46. ISSN 2785-9169. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ James R. Rush (2016). Hamka's Great Story A Master Writer's Vision of Islam for Modern Indonesia. University of Wisconsin Press. p. 116. ISBN 9780299308407. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
- ^ Ahmad Jelani Halimi (24 April 2024). Sejarah dan tamadun bangsa Melayu (Paperback) (in Indonesian and Malay). Utusan Publications & Distributors. pp. 168–9, 264. ISBN 9789676121554. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
- ^ a b Naili Anafah (2018). Hukum Pidana Islam Kerajaan Demak Abad 15 (ebook) (in Indonesian). Hasfa. p. 42. ISBN 9786027693098. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
- ^ Muhammad Hafil (2020). "Catatan Hamka Soal Hubungan Muawiyah dan Ratu Sima di Jawa" (in Indonesian). Republika. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
- ^ Lukmanul Hakim (2015). "DARI PERSIA HINGGA CINA: Diskursus tentang Teori Kedatangan Islam di Melayu Nusantara". Khazanah: Jurnal Sejarah Dan Kebudayaan Islam (in Indonesian and English). VIII (15): 9–10. ISSN 2614-3798. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
- ^ Muhammad Subarkah. "Korespondensi Sriwijaya dengan Khilafah Bani Umayyah". Republika. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
- ^ Nur Ali (2021). "The Role o f t he Arabic Teacher i n t he Spread of Islam in Nusantara". Ilomata International Journal of Social Science (IJSS): 109. ISSN 2714-8998. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ a b Coedès, George (1968). Walter F. Vella (ed.). The Indianized States of Southeast Asia. trans.Susan Brown Cowing. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-0368-1.